when i was 15 years old my uncle came to visit from the USA. He had a PHD in Chemistry and worked his whole life for DuPont, the giant chemical company multinational that invented Nylon and many other petro-chemical derived plastics. I had pointed out that i could taste chemicals in the water if the water sat in a plastic bottle for a few months. He said, “nonsense, plastic is completely inert, you can eat it and it won’t hurt you”. I told him that i could literally TASTE the chemicals in the water. He assured me at the time that DuPont has a spotless and impeccable record when it came to the environment. I expressed my scepticism at that. My uncle, it appeared to me at the time, had been totally indocrinated and fooled by his own companies corporate propaganda, in spite of his high level of education and expertise in the area of chemistry.So years later it emerged in the news that many plastic drink containers contained contained PBA and that PBAs are now known endocrine disruptors that are especially harmful to infants and children. So my teenage tastebuds vs. a PHD in chemistry and a whole lot of DuPont company propaganda and green washing. My tastebuds were correct.
As of the 90’s it emerged that there is another class of chemicals called PFAS (polyfluoroalkyl) that are commonly used in the lining of water pipes, tin (aluminum) cans, cosmetics containers etc etc and we now know that these chemicals are in all of us. It’s another example of the EPA and other regulatory agencies that are supposed to be safe guarding human health failing to do their job with due diligence. And all of this was done, all of our bodies were raped in this way, for the sake of convenience and profit. Our parents generation was the convenience generation, convenience foods and other products, fast food, so called ‘TV dinners’, etc etc, all contained trace amounts of these harmful chemicals and the companies involved denied it for many many years, just as the tobacco companies denied using PR campaigns and disinformation the link between smoking and cancer and respiratory illnesses. Testosterone levels in males have been decreasing by 1% per year for the past 30 years or so, in part due to the pervasive ‘forever chemicals’ in our food and water supply.
Meanwhile the EPA was recently gutted and diluted even more when our pal Donald Drump appointed Andrew Wheeler, a former lobbyist for energy concerns such as the coal industry to head the EPA. The fox is in the henhouse, it’s fracked. Thx for listening.
I have not spoken to my uncle at any length since the time of the discussion that i mentioned and during our last family meeting via zoom he totally ignored me, pretending that i was not even there. Whatever.
Here are some links to support and substantiate what i just wrote.
One more reason, among many to despise and revile the public criminal, aka The Donald. Stupid vapid bunt he is, anti-environmental, fat orange small dick energy sociopathic narcissistic personality disorder fracker that he truly is. What i would like you all to consider is to go back to using all natural fibre products such as organic cotton and wool and wood to replace such things as nylon and various other plastics. Years ago the hippies were so right about the natural fibres thing. They knew and said it out loud; the world ignored and even laughed at them but they (we) were right all along. Boycott Dupont and Dow Chemical as much as possible and let’s get on the politicians to remake the EPA as an agency who’s mandate is actually to PROTECT AND SERVE the public rather than private corporate interests with their many overpaid PR hacks and lobbyists. This is my mission for this year, to make that happen.
addendum:
What are some common endocrine disruptors?
Bisphenol A (BPA) — used to make polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins, which are found in many plastic products including food storage containers
Dioxins — produced as a byproduct in herbicide production and paper bleaching, they are also released into the environment during waste burning and wildfires
Perchlorate — a by-product of aerospace, weapon, and pharmaceutical industries found in drinking water and fireworks
Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) — used widely in industrial applications, such as firefighting foams and non-stick pan, paper, and textile coatings
Phthalates — used to make plastics more flexible, they are also found in some food packaging, cosmetics, children’s toys, and medical devices
Phytoestrogens — naturally occurring substances in plants that have hormone-like activity, such as genistein and daidzein that are in soy products, like tofu or soy milk
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) — used to make flame retardants for household products such as furniture foam and carpets
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) — used to make electrical equipment like transformers, and in hydraulic fluids, heat transfer fluids, lubricants, and plasticizers
Triclosan — may be found in some anti-microbial and personal care products, like liquid body wash
